Over and out for the MVNO model?
Qwest has this morning announced that it will be shutting down its Wireless service on Oct. 31, 2009. Formerly in bed with Sprint, Qwest started offering the wireless service in collaboration with Verizon just over a year ago. Under the agreement, Verizon Wireless phones and services were offered to Qwest’s residential and business customers.
Qwest customers who switch to a new service provider within the 60-day period will be able to transfer their wireless phone numbers to their new provider of choice, and there is no early termination fee when disconnecting from Qwest Wireless.
According to the fact sheet (PDF), Qwest started transitioning Qwest Wireless customers to Verizon
Wireless in August 2008 and has since switched “tens of thousands of customers”.
More information is available here.
:’(
How many people are going to be sad about this? I don’t think I knew anyone with qwest.
Also where did video comments go on techcrunch? I miss those.
MVNO never made much sense to me on a large regional scale like that. How are you supposed to compete by tacking on another layer of parasitic managers, marketers, and executives to someone else’s core service?
MVNO may make some slight sense with very specialized marketing to narrow segments or demographics for which the MVNO has some special access that the host mobile operator does not. But even then, some other non-virtual operator could someday move in to eat their lunch with their direct control of the infrastructure.
My friends have been switching right and left off qwest for awhile now, as if it were just another AT&T. As an ISP, it’s sorely lacking.
I’m still on a helio contract. Another MVNO gone.
I’m kind of amazed that my cell company can change so many hands and they expect me to stay with them.
I feel like I’m stuck on an sinking ship. At least these Qwest people can get out.
I guess it’s only 4 months longer on the contact. Oh well.
Keep an eye on this new multi-media search engine launching soon.Heard about it and it looks promising.
It will be connected to all mobile networks worldwide(source of revenue) and partnering up with the biggest brands known to mankind,interms of revenue this will be the biggest on the net.Can’t wait to see how this turns out.See demo site below:
http://www.yaffflezone.com
Cable companies like Qwest could have competed with wireless operators AT&T and Verizon if they were smarter about marketing their services. Qwest, Cox and Comcast have the ability to offer wireless services now the femtocells are getting distributed to fill in dead zones by the tier 1 wireless carriers. All the cable companies need to do is target neighborhoods where AT&T and Verizon don’t offer coverage. See the http://www.deadcellzones.com map
with the ability to produce videos like that, it’s hard to understand how it is that Qwest doesn’t rule the world. Or something. Qwest. There’s a brand name for ya. I’d pay $5 for it.